- Eddie Bracken
Edward Vincent "Eddie" Bracken (
February 7 1915 -November 14 2002 ) was an Americanactor .Born in
Astoria, New York , he performed invaudeville at the age of nine, and gained fame on Broadway in the musical "Too Many Girls" in a role he reprised in the film version in 1940. He had performed in a short film series called "The Kiddie Troupers" (one of many "Our Gang "-like series) prior to that, but this film was his big break.In 1936, Bracken pursued success on Broadway with his starring run in the Joseph Viertel play "So Proudly We Hail". The military drama co-starred Richard Cromwell and opened to much fanfare, but closed after 14 performances at the 46th Street Theater.
In the 1940s, director
Preston Sturges cast Bracken in two of his best-loved films, "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek ", oppositeBetty Hutton , and "Hail the Conquering Hero ". Based on the popularity of these films, Eddie Bracken was a household name duringWorld War II . Bracken also made numerousradio broadcasts during this era.In 1953, Bracken left
Hollywood . He appeared on Broadway in "Shinbone Alley ", "Hello, Dolly!", "The Odd Couple ", and "Sugar Babies ".He returned to feature films to perform character roles for director/writer John Hughes. Bracken appears in the Hughes-written "
National Lampoon's Vacation " (as "Roy Walley"), "", and "Baby's Day Out ".He died in
Montclair, New Jersey of complications from (undisclosed) surgery at the age of 87.For his contribution to radio, Eddie Bracken has a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1651 Vine Street and a second star at 6751 Hollywood Blvd. for his contribution to the television industry.External links
*ibdb name|id=14242|name=Eddie Bracken
*imdb name|id=0102787|name=Eddie Bracken
*amg name|2:7894
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